The application of 137Cs and 210Pbex methods in soil erosion research of Titel loess plateau, Vojvodina, Northern Serbia

Soil erosion is one of the largest global problems of environmental protection and sustainable development, causing serious land degradation and environmental deterioration. The need for fast and accurate soil rate assessment of erosion and deposition favors the application of alternative methods based on the radionuclide measurement technique contrary to long-term conventional methods. In this paper, we used gamma spectrometry measurements of Cs-137 and unsupported Pb-210(ex) in order to quantify the erosion on the Titel Loess Plateau near the Tisa (Tisza) River in the Vojvodina province of Serbia. Along the slope of the study area and in the immediate vicinity eight representative soil depth profiles were taken and the radioactivity content in 1 cm thick soil layers was analyzed. Soil erosion rates were estimated according to the profile distribution model and the diffusion and migration model for undisturbed soil. The net soil erosion rates, estimated by Cs-137 method range from -2.3 t ha(-1) yr(-1) to -2.7 t ha(-1) yr(-1), related to the used conversion model which is comparable to published results of similar studies of soil erosion in the region. Vertical distribution of natural radionuclides in soil profiles was also discussed and compared with the profile distribution of unsupported Pb-210(ex) measurements. The use of diffusion and migration model to convert the results of Pb-210(ex) activities to soil redistribution rates indicates a slightly higher net erosion of -3.7 t ha(-1) yr(-1) with 98% of the sediment delivery ratio.